The invention concerns a wiper bearing housing having a bearing region and at least one mounting element. The invention further concerns a method for producing a wiper bearing housing having a bearing region and at least one mounting element.
Wiper bearing housingsxe2x80x94also referred to simply as wiper bearingsxe2x80x94are used primarily in the automotive industry. They have the task of supporting a wiper shaft or the bearing rotating link in rotatable fashion. In general, the wiper bearing housing is outfitted with at least one mounting element. Said mounting element can be realized as a fixing eye, for example, that is fastened to the body of a motor vehicle. Furthermore, tubular regions are arranged on certain types of wiper housings. These tubular regions are pushed onto holding bars of a wiper system.
It is known to design wiper bearing housings out of aluminum or zinc die casting, or plastic injection molding, or as a sheet-metal component to be bent, for instance.
The geometry of the wiper bearing furthermore determines the orientation of the wiper axis in relation to the body and, in particular, in relation to the motor-vehicle window to be cleaned. The wiper axis position is vehicle-specific, i.e., it depends on the geometry of the windshield. Additionally, the wiper bearing geometry must be adjusted individually for the vehicle type with regard for the fastening to the body. For this reason, the wiper bearings must be newly adjusted for nearly every vehicle type, so that high tool costs are incurred for production of the wiper bearing housings.
Sheet-metal bearing housings have the advantage that they are cost-effective, in particular in the case of large numbers of units. The costs are dependent on the number of units, because a complex and expensive tool having, e.g., 15 to 20 tool stages, must be used.
A further set of problems regarding wiper bearing housings concerns vehicle safety. Wiper bearing housings that are designed rigid in nature pose a safety risk, e.g., if a pedestrian is thrown onto a moving vehicle. It is already known to provide wiper bearing housings with a set fracture point or to also arrange a selected tube on the wiper bearing housing that can deform upon impact. These additional measures involved in the design of wiper bearing housings also lead to undesired additional costs.
The invention is based on the generic wiper bearing housing in that at least one transitional region between the bearing region and the mounting element is deformable. Due to the deformability of the transitional region between the bearing region and the mounting element, the angle of the wiper axis can be selected in variable fashion in relation to the vehicle body. It is therefore possible to use the same basic type for different vehicles, which markedly reduces the tool costs for creating vehicle-specific wiper bearings. Costs can also be reduced by increasing the number of units, which is then made possible.
A fixing eye is preferably provided as mounting element. Using such a fixing eye, the wiper bearing housing can be fastened to the vehicle body. Due to the deformability of the transitional region between the bearing region and the fixing eye, the wiper axis angle can be adjusted.
It is preferrable for a tubular region to be provided as the mounting element. With a tubular region of this type, the wiper bearing housing is generally pushed onto a holding bar of a wiper system. The wiper housing is rotatable on the tubular region. As a result of a deformable region that can be situated between the bearing region and the tubular region, additional degrees of freedom are available for the orientation of the wiper axis.
The deformability of the at least one transitional region is realized preferably by means of a corrugated region. In general, such a corrugated region is simple to produce, and it can be designed so that sufficient deformability is available.
It is advantageous in particular when the wiper bearing housing is designed as a sheet-metal component to be bent. This is a cost-effective variant of wiper bearing housings. In the case of large numbers of units, in particular, the invention can reveal its advantageous, cost-saving effects in this fashion.
It is furthermore advantageous when the wiper bearing is deformable or strainable under the influence of increased axial force. In this fashion it can be achieved that the bearing region can shift position when an axial force is applied. In this fashion, the forces acting on persons in the case of impact can be reduced.
It can be advantageous if a deformability or strainability is plastic. A deformation of the wiper bearing housing can therefore be irreversibly shaped, so that, after an impact, one is required, for safety considerations, to replace the wiper bearing housing, which was seriously damaged by the impact.
It can also be advantageous, however, when a deformability or strainability is elastic. In this case, in particular after a light impact, the wiper bearing housing returns to its original position, so that a functional wiper system exists without the need for further repair.
The invention is based on the generic method in that at least one deformable transitional region is situated between the bearing region and the mounting element. The angle of the wiper axis in relation to the vehicle body can be selected in variable fashion by means of the deformability of the transitional region between the bearing region and the mounting element. It is possible, therefore, to use the same basic type for different motor vehicles, which markedly reduces the tool costs for producing vehicle-specific wiper bearings. Costs can also be reduced by increasing the number of units, which is then made possible.
The forming of the deformable transitional region preferably takes place in a forming tool. Accordingly, the production process can take place in such a fashion that the forming tool stages are integrated in the tool, e.g., as tool inserts. In the first tool stages, therefore, the universal shape of the wiper bearing housing is first produced with the deformable regions. In the final tool stages, the forming desired for the specific application is then carried out.
It can also be practical when the forming of the deformable transitional region takes place outside of a tool. The forming can therefore take place independently of the actual production process.
It is preferable that a tubular region is provided as the mounting element, and that the tubular region is pushed onto a holding tube before the transitional region is formed, whereby the tubular region can rotate in an axial direction. It is possible, therefore, to wait until assembly to bring a wiper bearing housing comprising a universal shape into its final form, whereby the additional degree of freedom of rotation on a holding tube is utilized.
A corrugated transitional region is preferably moulded. Generally speaking, such a corrugated region is simple to produce, and it can be designed so that a sufficient deformability is available.
It is furthermore advantageous when a sheet-metal component is used as the starting workpiece. This is a cost-effective variant of wiper bearing housings. When large numbers of units are involved, in particular, the invention can reveal its advantageous, cost-saving effects in this fashion.
The invention is based on the surprising finding that, on account of the deformability of transitional regions, a universally-usable wiper bearing housing can be produced. The required wiper axis position can be realized in the wiper bearing with comparably low expense by means of the deformation regions, in particular by adapting the orientation of the connecting pin in relation to the sheet-bar tube and/or the orientation of the fixing eye, and on account of the free orientation of the wiper bearing by means of rotation in relation to the sheet-bar tube. The cost reductions are based, on the one hand, on the fact that individual tools for every new vehicle model need not be made available, whereby the increase in the number of units of the produced wiper bearing housing plays an important role here in particular.